Laws

The Kings Laws (that you know) The punishment for killing of a Carl's stock, or theft of property within his manor or lands, or other unlawful acts by one of his own, is left to the Carl, and may be any penalty short of death. If the Carl deems death to be warranted, the rogue shall be tried by the King's Court at Pyreside. (You personally know of nobody who has received a severe punishment, except maybe Old Man Vincy, but at least one couple from another village was hung for adultery. Or, at least that is how you remember it. it was many years back, and the story is told in the local tavern whenever two people are behaving inappropriately.) Crimes by a man of one Carl against another Carl's lot shall be handled by a meeting of the two. Should no agreement be found before the second full moon, or if the Carl's agree that death should be the punishment, then the rogue shall be tried by the King's Court at Pyreside.

(They say Vincy of Candleton lost his right thumb when he stole a goat from a farmer in Culldair. Maybe you should ask him next time you see him? Or maybe not; you don't remember ever seeing Ol' Vincy without a dagger at his belt and one in each boot.)

The dead are to be burned at Pyreside. No delay is to be broached.(This law is taken quite seriously. You remember seeing a man who broke his neck when he fell off his roof while thatching it. He was immediately wrapped in linen and thrown over a horse, which was taken to Pyreside that very day by the Carl and his son.)

The mortally wounded, the deathly sick, and the infirmed aged are to be moved to Pyreside, where they will be tended by the Sisters of the Gentile Hand until they recover or pass.(As a child you knew of a few people who were cured by the Sisters of the Gentile Hand. Still, every night you prayed to never be sick enough to be taken to Pyreside. You've never been to Pyreside. it has always seemed like a good place to avoid, especially since those who go there without purpose have been known to be put on a day guard duty.)

Travel on a country road unarmed is punishable by a day in the stocks at Market Cross.(You know that your Carl will provide a long knife and iron bound staff to any who wish them, provided they are returned when the journey is complete.)

Adults of every station, men and women alike, are to train in use of a weapon on the day appointed by their Carl. (The local Carl provides a simple weapon, usually a long knife or short sword, if no weapon is owned by the trainee. Bow training is offered to a favored few.)

By King's agreement with the Satyrs of the Eastern Slopes, the hunting of game East of Fonsfurd is forbidden, and punishable by death. Wild animals killed elsewhere in the Kingdom shall be taken to the local Carl, where a leg is to be taken as tax for the Carl and equal for the King. (You've heard the local Carl say "Catch me in good spirits and I'll takes the two front legs from yer rabbit. But then he always laughs.)

Riding a horse without the word of the King is punishable by the lash. Driving a cart requires the word of a Carl. (If you've never ridden a horse, are you really going to try it? The only people you know who have been in the position to do this have been granted the right to ride by the King, and you do not recall any price or tax levied for this privilege.)

A man may leave the land of one Carl for another if the new Carl will take him. Any disagreements between the two Carl's shall not fall upon the head of the mover. (Most Carls allow man and women who meet to marry freely and choose a place to live. Others make the man pay a price, which some say is against the King's law. You know of nobody who has complained to the King.)

A Carl who wishes to rid himself of a man shall turn him over to the King, so that the King may find the man a more agreeable place to dwell. (Everyone knows that any troublemaker who has this happen ends up in the King's Army, guarding the Pyreside watch. A childhood friend's uncle had this happen, but he was a drunkard.)